


Get Your Rock On

by EtherealNyx



Series: Pre-Game Galar Works [13]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Developing Friendships, Gen, I feel like all of these fics are and that’s okay, Psychic Abilities, Warning for Rich People
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-20 02:54:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20668118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EtherealNyx/pseuds/EtherealNyx
Summary: Add one rich kid, three childhood friends, and one kid with a cool aesthetic together, mix in a dare gone horribly wrong, and lightly sprinkle in some awkward promises. Congratulations! You’ve cooked shenanigans properly!In which the above happens.





	Get Your Rock On

**Author's Note:**

> I’m always neglecting people who aren’t Hop, so I was like ‘hm, let’s not write something with Hop’ and then I wrote something with Hop. BUT this is entirely a story about MARNIE; Hop is just in it. (My muse is a fickle mistress who’d sell me to Satan for a corn chip.) 
> 
> Anyway, you know what’s cool? Reading funny fanfic. Let’s do this.

When Bede insisted on paying for an excursion of her choice, Marnie didn’t quite know what to think. People changed, she supposed. She’d have to find a way to reconcile her old perception of him with this newfound layer of depth. 

The disguises were, admittedly, a bit much.

Marnie didn’t suit the blonde wig. Her neck was valiantly protesting its scratchiness; hopefully, she wouldn’t get a rash. Uncomfortable sensations aside, it also mercilessly clashed with her aesthetic. No matter what, black would _ always _be her color.

To fit the look better, she had chosen a floral sundress, one of those gifts from a relative you forgot you had before it suddenly appeared in your closet, wrinkled and ready to be worn. Add in some brown contacts and simple sandals, and Marnie looked exactly like some Lasses she used to admire. The girl in the mirror was a stranger. She turned away before the sense of wrongness could increase.

_ This is necessary. _ She told herself as she forwent her usual bag for something that only Victor could pull off: practical but horribly ugly. _ None of you want to be swarmed. There’s no sense in viewing this like a betrayal of the self. _

In Marnie’s view, the brain could beat the heart every single time. People just needed to work at it. Pangs in the chest meant nothing; she’d be back to her regular self by tomorrow.

It was a beautiful day.

She snapped a picture of the horizon, rich with blue and promise. Holding off on posting the shot wasn’t a trial; if any fans found them because of her social media account, Hop would never let her hear the end of it. At the very least, he wasn’t here to penalize her for scrolling through her feed. 

**marniestan4000: ** _ @m.arnie look it’s big chungus _

They had tagged her in a photo of the fattest Greedunt she had ever seen. “Pfft!” She slapped her hand over her mouth. Poor thing! Normally, she’d avoid replying like the plague, but this was too good to pass up.

**m.arnie: ** _ @marniestan4000 el greedunt es pequeño y gordo _

Immediately, her phone lit up with notifications. There went her energy for managing her account for the day. “Rotom, please mute my notifications.” She groaned.

Her phone sparked dangerously, never a good sign. “Bzzt! You’re not the boss of me! I’m joining a union!” 

She sighed. “I _ did _say please. I can’t even mute my phone; it’s a Rotom feature only. Say, are you hungry? You can scare me with one of those screamers if you want.” 

The face on the screen squinted at her suspiciously. “Izzz this a prank? I will not be fooled by the upper class!” It insisted.

“No, I promise.” Marnie smiled down at her phone. “It’s alright.” Normally, this was enough to pacify the Rotom. Like any other experimental model, it had its own personality quirks that made cooperation difficult, but she knew how to smooth things over with the ghost. Any second now, it’d be smiling and ready to help.

A zombified Obstagoon shrieked at her instead. 

“AAA!” She fumbled with the phone, somehow managing to keep her grip on it. “You meant _ now? _”

It looked incredibly smug, even by Rotom standards. “We’re even! Oh, and that Gloria girl’s been trying to call you but I said you were super duper busy looking at chubby rodents and can you please leave a message after the beep? And get this! _ I forgot the message. _” 

“You are _ so _ lucky I love you.” Marnie told it before shutting it off. She had no idea why she used to want a Rotom phone so much. If she knew the price of expanded freedom was dealing with a dysfunctional entity that’d surely outlive her by hundreds of years, she would have gone with the Pokegear.

She rolled her shoulders in an attempt to loosen the tension. (Sleeping in weird positions never made her muscles happy, but it was a hard habit to break.) The less stiffness she felt, the better. With any luck, her companions would not be left waiting long.

Anyone else would have simply purchased a new phone. Marnie was thinking of better bribes to use next time. There _ would _be a next time, and she was going to be ready. Losing to her Rotom would be beyond the pale. Unthinkable, even!

Within the confines of the device, said Rotom began to laugh.

* * *

**scot: ** _ new haircut! _

**f.ire.cra.cker: ** _ @scot oh are you at the salon in that mushroom town?!? _

**scot: ** _ @f.ire.cra.cker wtf _

~~

**m.arnie: ** _ @marniestan4000 el greedunt es pequeño y gordo _

**marniestan4000: ** _ @m.arnie mmhm! el greedunt es pequeño y gordo y ENOJADO _

**yell_loud_and_proud: ** _ @m.arnie @marniestan4000 y’all friends or??? I’m SO jealous… _

**marniestan4000: ** _ @yell_loud_and_proud you will never have my power I’ve maxed out my clout stat _

**yell_loud_and_proud: ** _ @marniestan4000 screw you _

~~

**hopofficial: ** _ happy birth @m.arnie get that big chungus!!! _

**scot: ** _ @hopofficial bro she’s already busy with lil chungus _

**hopofficial: ** _ @scot u right mate... my mistake… _

**scot: ** _ @hopofficial don’t sweat it mate you’re perfect… no hetero _

**hopofficial: ** _ @scot mate... _

**psybede: ** _ @scot @hopofficial where ARE you _

~~

**lovecore: ** _ @scot left me by a random river best cousin ever :(((( _

**sugarycardio: ** _ @lovecore you good??? why are you in Kalos :o _

**lovecore: ** _ @sugarycardio i’m not to both ): thnx though! _

~~

**psybede: ** _ @scot @hopofficial will you stop running away now??? I found your moron _

**lovecore: ** _ @scot @hopoffical hint: I am the moron _

**scot: ** _ @psybeam don’t call him that, dumbass _

**hopofficial: ** _ @scot I thought… I was dumbass… _

**scot: ** _ @hopofficial you’re smartass now because your mind is a galaxy mate... _

**hopofficial: ** _ @scot mate... _

**psybede: ** _ @scot did you just call me dumb _

* * *

“I hate you.”

“That’s a lie!”

“It is _ not.” _

The sound of faint bickering reached Marnie’s ears. It was almost musical, though only because she recognized the voices involved. 

She rounded the corner eagerly, only to stop and do a double take. Yes, the voices matched, but were those really her companions?

Gloria’s new haircut was one she was familiar with, but the battler had neglected to post a picture of her subsequent dye job and makeover. Smart move. For once, she strayed into the realm of realistic hair colors, sticking with a lighter shade of brown than even Victor couldn’t match naturally. The accentuated eyelashes and lip gloss were new though, as was the shiny dress that no doubt came from clearance. Marnie suspected all of them had gotten the notice about being in disguise.

Bede looked extremely uncomfortable, though why could have been anything. She’d bet a fair amount of money on it being down to his own changed look; slicked back hair and a sports jacket didn’t suit him at all. Even the brown contacts looked strange peering out of his face, like something else had taken up residence in his head and booted out all traces of purple from his life. 

She pushed that thought down into the trash pit where it belonged. If she started entertaining paranoid thoughts _ again, _who knew where she’d end up this time? Studying the other two was far more interesting. 

Out of everyone, Victor’s style felt the most like him. Having donned a red coat over a normal pink t-shirt and blue jeans set, he could get away with a black wig and painted on freckles to look like another person. One could call it impressive mimicry of his fans… or just sticking with what felt right. 

Hop, meanwhile, had gone for similarly dark contacts, though shoving his distinctive hair under a wide sun hat was a solid choice. No jacket in sight, he was almost drowning in an oversized romper. The sight was enough to make her laugh.

The argument came to a screeching halt. “Oh! Marnie?!?” Hop’s eyes would have escaped his head if they could. 

“Shh!” She glanced around worriedly. Luckily, this area seemed to be deserted. “Don’t be so loud. I don’t want people to see me like this.”

“Are we not people?” Bede snarked, even though it was his entire fault that everyone looked alien. His jokes were the definition of horrid.

In response, she made a show of glancing him over. The more she looked, the more she felt stuck in one of those old movies with too many Alcremie and unlikely high school bonds. Unovan films were very, _ very _ cliche. “I don’t know, Bede.” She feigned ignorance. “That’s far beyond my ability to decide something like _ that.” _

“Ouch!” Gloria snorted. “That hurts! Still, I guess you can be whatever you want on your birthday, right?”

Her birthday. It still felt odd to call it that. The concept was more like a long-lost relative trying to take up the same space they used to, even though their niche had been filled…

“Woah.” Hop waved a hand in front of her face. “She’s monologuing again!”

“Quit it.” Marnie took a step back, bewildered by the sudden change in position. “I wasn’t monologuing.”

They all looked skeptical. “You were making the face though.” He continued to push the matter. It wasn’t an outing with Hop without a fair bit of probing and casual invasiveness. 

She could feel her cheeks puffing out with air. “I don’t have a monologuing face.” Marnie insisted. “That’d be incredibly stupid. This isn’t a poorly written but somehow incredibly amusing cartoon.”

Hop immediately latched on to her, taking advantage of her lowered guard. “There we have it, folks! We are now proudly presenting the girl who looks for plot inconsistencies in comedy cartoons!”

“What’s wrong with that?” 

He wheezed with laughter, sounding for all the world like a damaged accordion. “Nuthin’! But haven’t you heard what they say about mountains and Excadrill hills?”

Pushing Hop’s face away gently, she shifted into the middle of the group, struggling not to laugh at the overly boisterous way he went through the world. “I still stand by the idea that analysis is critical to understanding _ The Goomy Tunes _.” 

Bede put his hand over his mouth. “Sorry, I can’t take you seriously while you’re wearing that. Are we going to go now? Do you have a place in mind?”

“A few.” Marnie replied, going over the itinerary in her head. “I hope you’ve brought your wallet.”

He groaned with the air of a half dead man. “I regret being nice to you. I truly do.” 

For the first time that morning, Victor giggled. She looked askance at him, half expecting something else to happen. His mouth snapped shut. Perhaps he was determined to remain as silent as the grave. Or maybe it was something else.

Regardless, Marnie marched forward, prepared for the excursion to begin. 

* * *

Getting Victor to shrug out of his coat was one thing. Getting him to put on the sweater was another.

“I’ll look duh-dumb!” He protested, eyes darting from side to side. “I’m not cool enough to wear this!” 

“But it’s pink.” 

He glowered, looking exactly like a wounded Wooloo. “That’s stereotyping…” Victor grumbled.

“Stop being so sullen.” Marnie admonished him. “Today is a nice day, isn’t it? You should expand your wardrobe.”

“I dunno…” She glanced down at his shoes too to see if there was anything interesting going on with them. “I’d never be able to pull something like this off, Marnie. You should try it.”

Drastic times called for drastic measures. She crossed her arms, staring him down. “Everyone will think it looks nice on you.” She told him plainly. 

With a small squeak, Victor snatched the sweater from her grasp. He ducked into the changing room, accidentally cutting her off. Honestly, she wasn’t surprised in the slightest; imply that one (1) thing to him and he’d instantly become malleable putty. She hadn’t even needed to use the most crucial part of her argument.

“C-Can you bring me some sunglasses?” He said meekly through the opaque curtain. “Please?” 

“Of course.” She backed away from where he was hiding (and make no mistake, it _ was _hiding), meandering over to the sunglasses rack. Red ones, black ones, ones with gaudy rhinestones… 

“I got you a nice pair.”

“It’s pink, isn’t it.” The resignation in his voice was abundantly clear.

“Yes.” Marnie passed it through the gap. 

Victor huffed. Loudly. She stifled a little laugh. Leave it to the Yoshidas to sound like her Morpeko without even trying.

“Just so you’re aware,” she continued, “I was told the color suits you.”

The curtain snapped open. “By who?!?” He blurted out, sunglasses sliding down the bridge of his nose.

Marnie shook her head. “It was told to me in confidence. Besides, it’s hardly my secret to share.” 

“I… I could guess!” Victor pointed at her, trying his best to challenge her statement. “And you’d make some sort of face to confirm it!”

“That’s a dangerous assumption to make.” Her smile was serene. “Also, you won’t because worrying about it being who you want it to be will cripple your ability to get a solid answer.”

He pushed the sunglasses back up to cover his eyes. “I’m not used to you talking so much to me…” 

A host of potential unsaid words swam in the abyss of his odd complaint, beckoning for her attention. She ignored them all. “Well, I _ like _ talking to you, so it’s a good thing to get used to. You’re very funny, Victor.”

His wince was also like a Wooloo’s. She could picture him rolling away from their conversation. “Thanks.” He looked like he was about to say something more, but no words left his lips. 

_ How do you handle restraining yourself so often? _ She wondered. _ Doesn’t it hurt after awhile? _

“Is something wrong?” Marnie ventured, uncertain. “Are you upset with me? It’s alright if you are.”

“No, I’m just being stupid!” His smile was rueful. She felt another silly pang. “Don’t worry about it!”

She mulled over her next words very carefully. “Victor-”

_ Crash. _

“My bad!” Gloria hollered from across the store. “_ Damn, _ they’re out of pink sunglasses!” 

The cashier gazed at them warily.

“I’m not associated with her.” Victor said automatically. “Can I buy these please?”

Before Bede could make it across the room, the other boy had already purchased the outfit. 

* * *

“Are you going to let him down now?” Passerby were starting to gawk openly at the group. It probably had to do with the fact that Victor was floating. He did not look happy about it.

“He should have let me pay.” Bede repeated stubbornly. 

Victor twisted around to float upside down. “I’m doing your wallet a favor. You should be grateful.” The boy pointed out spitefully. 

Without looking, Bede readjusted him so that he was stuck upright. “You are undermining my one duty here, and I utterly despise you for it.” This was delivered in a cool, unaffected tone. “Watch out for your birthday, Victor.”

“H-Huh?!? Is that a _ threat? _”

Gloria whacked them both where she could reach them. “Can you maybe chill? The cafe is literally right there.”

Her cousin blanched. “We’re going to a cafe? Like, a real one?”

“There are fake cafes?!?” Hop gasped. Marnie couldn’t tell if it was sarcastic in nature; she didn’t know him all that well yet.

“Leave me alooone!” Victor whined. “You know what I mean! Anyway, can’t we just go to a family friendly restaurant?”

“Cafes are family friendly.” Marnie pointed out.

He covered his eyes. “You’re m-missing the _ point! _” 

Before he could elaborate, Bede could put him down, or any number of things rendered impossible by the mere passage of time, the lady greeting people at the door put a hand out to halt their approach.

“Sorry,” she said apologetically, “but absolutely no floating people are allowed on the premises.” 

“That’s reasonable.” Bede conceded, setting him down on the concrete. “I’m still going to pay though, Victor.” 

Her eyes narrowed. “Victor? As in, Masaru ‘Victor’ Yoshida?”

The aforementioned boy grimaced. “Um, yes. That’s me…”

Her smile was anything but pleasant. “As you know, you’re not allowed to come in here.”

“Yes, yes, I know…” He radiated misery. “I’m sorry, for what it’s worth.”

“Sorry won’t cut it, pal.” Her words were full of venom. “Good_ bye_.”

Gloria blinked at the now closed door. “Was she for real? Someone, quick! Pinch me!”

Hop pinched her.

“_Ow! _”

“Oh, right!” Gloria slapped her own forehead for emphasis. “How could I forget your claim to fame?”

“Claim to fame?” She asked, confused. Though she quite liked the boy, he wasn’t really known for doing exceptional things.

Hop gestured excitedly to Victor, who was putting on the world’s best production of Distilled Humilation, coming to a theater near you. “He’s banned from every single major cafe and tea shop in Galar, and maybe even beyond!” 

“How?!?” She exclaimed in unison with Bede. That made her feel a little better; being in the dark about something was more bearable when she wasn’t alone.

Victor curled in on himself, cheeks flushed. “It’s a bit of a long story… I mean, really long! We don’t have to get into it!” Each word was more rushed than the last.

“But I’m curious. And it’s my birthday.” She reminded him of those facts. 

“I! Okay…” He cut himself off. “Let’s see. It all started when I found Matilda…” 

* * *

“And that’s how we got that egg!” Gloria puffed out her chest triumphantly. 

“I don’t know what’s more shocking.” Bede downed another fry, scattering granules of salt across the table. “That you survived, or that all of that somehow related to the Matilda story.” 

“Man! I sure feel bad for anyone who missed _ that _story.” Hop stole a fry from Gloria’s plate without her noticing. 

Marnie nodded in agreement. “I do as well. You’re a fantastic storyteller, Gloria.”

“Thank- Hey, why is Vic at the counter?” They all turned to look at how he was talking to the cashier.

The brunette returned, all smiles. “Guess who just paid for our lunch?”

* * *

All of them were now banned from eating Feebas and chips at Gulp N’ Dive.

* * *

Gloria nudged her once they had been on the train for an hour. “Hey. Are you happy?”

She only giggled once, quietly, because the rest of them were asleep. “You both are very funny.” Marnie told her. “It must be a family thing.”

The other girl did not seem to like this very much. “It was a serious question, y’know.”

“Don’t take offense.” She said, in a way she hoped was soothing enough. “I _ like _ funny people. And laughing is nice.”

She glowered suspiciously. “Are you taking the piss?” 

“No.” Marnie replied honestly. “I wouldn’t make a joke. I’m no good at it. It’s fun to be around you. Did no one tell you that?”

“H-Hey.” Gloria stammered. Her and Victor both blushed the same way, all in blotchy patches. “I’m the one asking the questions here. Are you happy?”

She looked at the other people traveling with them on the train, all of them living, just living. Countless stories, wrapped in flesh and blood and bone. 

There was a word for it. She didn’t remember what it was.

“I am.” Marnie said because she was frank.

“Okay.” Gloria replied, and smiled because she believed her.

The rest of the train ride was done without speaking, the only sound being that of chapters unfolding before their eyes.

_ And that’s how I want this chapter to end. _

So it did.

**Author's Note:**

> Uh I’ll do this later I *sob*
> 
> Oh, later is now. Cool.
> 
> I don’t even want to do notes for this. It’s just funny.
> 
> I set out to write Marnie making everyone be punk, and ended up just thinking about how awkward it is to write dialogue where one person is being super blunt and everyone else is either doing the same or avoiding doing the same at all costs. I think the only actual important thing to note here is that I call Victor Masaru here at one point and then handily move on. It’ll probably matter later. Maybe. *shoves fic drafts down*
> 
> Oh, and Bede exploded. I have no clue if people have read Fear Factor (shameless plug), so. 
> 
> But, yeah, uh. Cool! Thanks for reading!


End file.
